What brought it on? Well, I’ve been thinking a lot about kids and survival lately. What can I do to make sure my kids survive? Not only survive, but thrive, live on with hope? What happens in an emergency situation if we are separated? All of the bug out bags and paracord in the world won’t help my daughters find their way to a safe place if I’m gone. And, even if I am here, how long can you endure a world that has changed completely?

What brought this on? The Movies… the News… Books… Family experience.

Think about it. In times of crisis, who do you care for? Your own people, of course. But, what about the other kids… the ones who lost their families? Do you view them as an intrusion? Another mouth to feed? Or do you help them?

Where do you draw the line?

How far will your humanity allow you to go?

In the Miyazaki film “Grave of the Fireflies”, a boy and his sister lose their mother during an air raid in Japan during World War 2. They make their way to a distant aunt, but instead of caring for them, she treats them like a burden. They end up leaving and trying to make it on their own… but they fail.

The Empire of the Son by JG Ballard is based on the life of the author, and the time he spent in a POW camp as a child in Asia. He learned to take care of himself. The adult POWs seem to consider him a pest, a burden, and not really their problem.

My father was a refugee as a child. He was lucky because someone helped him find his family. How can I be sure my kids will be safe too?

Consider the Road by Cormac MaCarthy. After finding a Prepper haven loaded with food, soap, and even cigarettes, a cleaned up Vigo Mortenson looks at his son and says, “you think I’m from another world, don’t you”? His child only knows hunger and grey skies… cold and fear. What kind of a world is that for a child? And what happens when the father dies?

So now, with all of this swirling through my head, I wonder. What can I do to protect my kids? They have basic emergency training… but what if it becomes permanent? What can I give them or teach them that will insure their safety, even if I’m not around? Who can I trust? And can I still trust that person if the SHTF? Will I be strong enough to deal with the aftermath of catastrophe armed with a can opener and some water?